Sprint Cup driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. before the start of the race. Pre-race and start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Camping World RV Sales 500 at the Talladega Superspeedway Sunday October 20, 2013. (Frank Couch/fcouch@al.com/al.com)

TALLADEGA, Alabama - The cheers for fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. came loud and often today at the Camping World RV Sales 500, as he led for 38 laps and looked ready to pull out a win on the final lap.

As if often the case at Talladega, however, plans are meant to be disrupted.

This time, Earnhardt's plans evaporated when Jamie McMurray won under the caution flag after Austin Dillon was turned and thrown airborne on the backstretch of the final lap by Ricky Stenhouse.

"We definitely had a plan," Earnhardt said, "but then we had that spinout behind us."

Earnhardt's plan for victory was predicated by the clean manner in which the race was run all day. The "Big One"--a multi-car wreck that seems to happen almost inevitably at Talladega--never happened, and racers drove patiently and cleanly.

After staying in or near the front of the pack all afternoon, he felt like he could afford to make a big move at the end of the race.

"It's really kind of a blur to see how we came in second place," he said. "We were in a perfect position to be patient and wait until we needed to. We just assumed it would go to checkered."

Laughing, he acknowledged that he should have known a wreck was coming on the final lap at Talladega.

"It always happens, doesn't it?" he said. "I'll replay that one in my mind for a while, and wonder what we could have done. Next time we're in that situation, I guess we'll try and go a lap sooner."

His second place finish may disappoint fans, but Earnhardt said that it was a quality win for his team and that he feels like improvement is happening on a race-by-race basis. He said the win was a "big improvement" over how he'd raced recently.

He attributed the strong finish to good preparation, a patient plan and--most importantly--a fast car.

"Our car was a rocket, and we were able to really be aggressive," Earnhardt said. "I knew in practice we felt strong, and we raced like hell all day long."

Despite 22 runner-up finishes, Earnhardt said that today felt like a real turning point. The strong finish gives him confidence going into the remainder of the season.

"We hear about the runner-up finishes all the time on the radio. Fans are disappointed we haven't won yet, but we're getting very close," he said. "I think we're right around the corner from winning one of these."